The Epic Love of Severus Snape
by pacific.coast
Summary: Based on Book IV of The Aeneid, an epic written by the Roman poet Virgil. It tells the tale of Severus' love for Lily, yet the young woman has a destiny to follow, one that does not include Severus. AU events happen three or so years than actual book


He was a Snape, his given name Severus.

As a mere half-blood who sullied

The originally pure line of the Prince family,

He was lucky to live out most of his childhood

Before Lord Voldemort came to power.

The story began when Severus was a mere five years old,

Young and innocent, and though heavy hearted

From the neglect enforced by his step-father,

His life was livable and he was content.

One day behind a covering of scanty leaves

In the neighborhood park where he ventured oft, he heard

A shriek that disturbed the usually well kept silence.

It was the two sisters who came most days

To play on the old swing set.

The younger girl was standing with a smirk on her face

While the elder scolded in firm yet soft tones.

Lily laughed, a pure lilting sound,

Bouncing back to the gently rocking swing.

Expertly, her legs pumping hard,

She rose up in the air and jumped,

Falling slowly to the ground.

Like how a feather drifts in a warm wind,

The girl fell leisurely, unnaturally, landing softly

On her feet. Her older sister persisted,

And from the boy's shaded covering, he could hear

The various accusations and desperate pleas for normalcy.

The words sounded in the child's ears, strange and startling

Labeling the two as Muggle-raised, possibly Muggle-born

For such surprising feats of magic, were expected

In a normal wizarding family. Shying away from his

Hiding place, the boy kindly offered his insight and thus began,

A fourteen year long friendship.

Many things happened through the long years,

Events that threatened to tear Severus and Lily apart.

Hogwarts, their school, founded for witches and wizards

And the study of magic, had the tradition of separating

Each entering class into four different houses.

Gryffindor was for the brave

While in Hufflepuff the loyal and hardworking flourished.

Ravenclaw nurtured the intelligent

Like how in Slytherin resided the cunning.

There were messy relations between

The houses of Gryffindor and Slytherin

Where Lily and Severus were respectively sorted.

Their associations were a frequent topic of distain

In Slytherin while the Gryffindors spent time

Worrying over Lily's sanity.

James Potter found it his duty to woe Lily.

Dismissing her friendship with Severus

And going out of his way to humiliate him

Was a sure reason why the prank-loving,

Arrogant Pureblood was permanently

In Severus' bad books.

But through thick and thin, tears and laughter,

Pleasant humoring and harmful jeering,

Severus and Lily remained friends.

They had graduated, time had passed,

And in a few months more than a year's time,

Both celebrated their nineteenth birthday.

A single day that eventful year

Marked a great change in the course of their lives

And what was to become of them,

For high up in the cylindrical attic of the north tower

Where the setting sun could be viewed out the west window,

Sat the Divination professor, Sybil Trelawney.

Wrapped in scarves, and jingling countless bangles,

She was the only living descendent

Of the famous seer Cassandra Trelawney.

Poor Sybil had much to live up to

And little to begin with.

Powers that had diluted over generations

Along with a passion for unnecessary drama

Had misled countless souls into disbelief.

She had little control over her Inner Eye

Thus, true to her world, she could not

Respond to a command.

So during that cold autumn day,

Rocking unsteadily on her favorite padded chair,

The prophecy she made was lost to deaf ears.

In her throaty, raspy voice, Sybil chocked out her first

True prediction:

"The flower of two sworn enemies,

Will give life to another, a redeemer, who,

Though facing the unearthly rays of death,

Will live just like any other.

Like his father in his looks, the boy will encounter

Disturbingly close relations with death,

But will have inherited the means to hide from it.

The flower shall be torn and buried,

But her importance in the Way of magic is great."

The Seer slumped over in her winged armchair,

Unconscious and unknowing of her deed.

Before the light had shifted to welcome

The coming of night, all seemed normal.

Severus Snape had begun his day less than excited.

He had woken up that morning at the usual time,

Before the sun had risen up into the sky

And cast its glow onto the world.

His human rituals in front of his sink

Could not have gone any smoother;

Not a single drop of toothpaste was misplaced

And there wasn't an odor of sweet rose or fresh citrus scent

Mixed within the concoction of shampoo

That he had applied stingingly to his hair.

Breakfast had come and gone, and by ten he arrived

At Hogwarts to prepare for his very first day.

Professor McGonagall pestered him, questioning

Why on earth did he agree to start teaching so young?

But that was no different than the norm.

As strict as the Head of Gryffindor was perceived to be,

She was still an old lady, and all old ladies adored gossiping.

Luckily for Snape, along with Minerva's chitchat

Came news that Lily Evans had accepted an apprenticeship

With the skillful Charms Professor, Professor Flitwick.

Severus was rightfully delighted;

He was to have someone his age at Hogwarts;

One who was possibly willing to keep him company.

Indeed almost two years had tediously passed

Since Severus had last seen Lily

On their last day of Hogwarts, departing

The scarlet train as it stopped at King's Cross.

He last heard that she had went on to train

In the fine art of Healing, a skill much needed

During the present time of disorder and violence.

Now he received a constant flow of information from

Loose-mouthed professors over sweet Elf-made wine

That passed easily from bottle to glass at the lunch table.

Since the last day of summer was drawing to a close,

The teacher found themselves enjoying

The last few moments of ease they possessed.

It was from these people that Severus reheard

The tales of Lily's charms skills,

Much like his own love of potions.

As she arrived a hour latter, her bags thrown about

From the tedious travel in the fireplace

He was delighted to find that she remembered him.

Thus the year started out in fine health.

Lily strolled shoulder to shoulder

With the Potions Professor, their conversation

Meandering between a lively exchange of information

On the Art of Potion Making and a heated debate

On the aspects of the various wand movements

Used for transfiguration and charms.

Whether it was their intention,

The two kept the murmurings light and lively

Holding at bay the differences between them,

Checking every so often not to step out of line.

But as they passed the staircase to the third floor corridor,

From the shadows stepped out a figure.

Wrapped loosely in a rich black cloak

Lined with a notable fringe of soft silver fur,

The shadow's designer shirt was expertly pressed,

His shoes shined until they sparkled maliciously,

Closely resembling his piercing ice-grey eyes.

The man, as the figure turned out to be,

Had neatly-trimmed platinum eyebrows

And his shapely defined yet delicate nose

Was raised like a sharp dagger from his pale white skin.

All this pointed towards an aristocratic birth,

Pureblood and possibly a product of intermarriage.

With a blast of excruciating magic,

Lucius Malfoy painfully separated the two.

Severus was thrown backwards into another corridor,

While Lily was thrown by the violent spell into a stone wall;

Her skull crashing unbecomingly into to the rock,

And she slid slowly down, coming to a rest

At the bottom of the desolate expanse,

Her body sagging forward.

Smirking slightly with his smooth lips curled

In a thin expression of distaste,

Lucius Malfoy began speaking

In his cold and impenetrable manner.

Letting his voice carry to the ears of the two around him,

He began speaking in a cutting tone:

"My dear Severus,

I never thought that such a well-mannered person like you

Could ever want to walk with the filthiest creatures on earth.

Is it, my friend, because of some dark spell,

Or perhaps potion, that you walk with it,

For only Merlin knows how the animal

Secretly stole the talents of other people?

Dreary me, for as I cannot stay long,

There is not much help I can give.

Yet, I if I were you, dear Severus,

Some of my words of advice should aid you greatly.

First, I suggest you slay the mudblood.

That shall exterminate the problem

Quickly and easily and cleanly.

Yet if you are not brave enough,

Cunning enough to devise such an act,

Torturing her with your sweet words

Would act just as well and be most amusing way.

Yet Severus, whatever you do, remember this;

Always keep the filth from reaching its goal,

While ruining her naturally stained reputation.

What type of Prince would you be

To deny my kindly given words?"

As Malfoy lectured away on his devious plans,

Lily was merely immersed in pain. She could move, yes,

But her head was throbbing from a migraine

While her shoulder screamed of maltreatment.

Blearily, with her eyes shut tight,

She could make out a few select sounds,

Most of them within the range of male voices.

It took a few moments, but her head was soon clear

And her eyes wide open, adjusting slowly

To the formidable scene beside her.

Yet only one thing was on her mind

As soon as she recognized the intruder:

Lucius Malfoy was going to pay.

Severus could hardly stand, much less

Perfectly upright in Pureblooded fashion.

There was a kink a the base of his neck

And he suspected he had a burn on his back

From sliding along the gritty floor.

He found himself being forced roughly up,

Pinned by Malfoy's artistically veined hands

With a wand pointed at his throat that

Merely rested at times but prodded harshly

As Malfoy made his important points.

All he could do was listen, giving a look

Of utmost attention, for he had dutifully learned

From his mother that it was the right thing to do

If he wished to lived to see the light the next day.

Yet he vowed never to do as Malfoy said.

At the closing of the sinister speech

He was released from the other's grasp.

Severus expected for Malfoy to leave

In his usual royal fashion,

But it did not turn out that way

For as Malfoy moved to brush past him,

There was a sudden whisper in the background,

While sudden movement before him

Turned Malfoy into an empty-handed fool.

Severus succeeded in his silence

Though he was unexpectedly very surprised

At the appearance of a conscious Lily

Looming impressively before the blonde.

In her right hand, she held her own wand;

In her left hand, she clutched another.

Glaring, Lily started voicing her own oration

Beginning with:

"Mr. Malfoy, I do believe

That you have no right to act as you did

For it is neither written down in law

Or even scientifically justified—though I doubt

Your understanding of the word.

You uphold the order of first-class Purebloods

To third-class Muggleborns

As you consider their blood to be less pure,

Less crimson and more muddled

Only because of their birth parents.

But I assure you that you are dreadfully wrong

Containing these areas of knowledge;

Blood is blood and is equal in all.

It's impossible to see how you reach

Your conclusion and formatted your advise.

But I shouldn't worry, should I?

Though you ought to in my place.

Severus is a fine man whom I place

My trust in for I believe that he actually has morals

And will not follow true with your directions.

You shouldn't go bothering him

For although you have Galleons and pretty stones,

He is ten times the man you will ever be.

True, everyone is very much allowed to believe

Whatever they like, but I will warn you

That violence can lead to consequences,

And like any good schoolboy,

You should know that insulting a teacher

Won't get you anywhere, or anywhere closer

To becoming a school governor.

I am quite sure that there are many of us

Around this school who will do whatever

To keep such brutes at bay."

Two pink blotches were present

On Lucius Malfoy's pale face.

His eyes had widened considerably,

Destroying the impassive mask

That he usually wore in lieu of emotions.

He spun on his heels, stalking off

As his cloak molded about the disturbed air

In coils and unappealing twists.

Lily turned to address Snape,

He could see her delicate lips part as she spun,

But she collapsed doing so;

Her hand reached out to grasp her skull

And with a shudder she fell.

It was impulse, anyone else would say,

As Severus deftly caught Lily on her way down.

Gently and carefully he carried her

Towards the hospital wing,

Gently and carefully he looked over her.

The man took in Lily's pouted pink lips,

Her flawless skin that was tanned lightly,

Long curled lashes that rested

On Lily's delicate face

And the way her hair fell in waves

Around her shoulders and chest,

Falling tendrils reaching their way towards the floor.

He had never seen such a woman,

One who stood up to Lucius Malfoy;

Either to his uncalled for advances

Or to his ungentlemanly insensitive words.

Severus knew he wasn't the most attractive

Of men who dotted the British Isle,

He wasn't the best in any way,

Yet Lily, the prettiest and smartest

Witch of his generation had defended him.

He was grateful—more than grateful.

No one had ever said anything like that.

As Severus drew closer to Madam Pomfrey's domain,

He could only come up with one conclusion;

Lily must like him.

Why else would she say such a thing?

Yes, Severus was quite sure she had feelings for him

And thus, in turn, he loved her too.

More than two months had past

Since the duo's confrontation with Lucius.

Lily had began frequently visiting

James Potter and his friends out side of Hogwarts.

Considering she wasn't a real teacher at the school,

There were no rules against her actions.

Most of the teachers encouraged her social life,

Declaring that for a young woman like her,

There wasn't close to enough people her age to interact with.

When Severus first heard of Lily's outings—

From mousy Professor Sprout of all people—

He had been mildly enraged.

It was well known around the school and staff

That James Potter and Severus Snape hated each other.

Whenever they had a chance,

The two would be at it at each other's throats,

With wands, potions, new pranks,

Or whatever was on hand.

Lily was well known to have hated the Potter boy

And most people assumed that she was only sympathetic

Towards Severus for he was usually the one attacked.

Whatever the reason were for Lily's fun,

Severus could not believe them.

She hated them and she loved him,

Didn't she? But for the next few days,

He was in quite a daze, trying to solve the riddle.

In the end, he had to admit,

It would seem to most people quite normal

For Lily to socialize with Potter.

They had, after all, been in the same house,

Attended the same classes for seven years,

And even accompanied each other to Hogsmeade,

Though that may have only been a rumor.

This was a new revelation for the poor Potions Professor.

With his love for Lily, no longer new

And which had etched itself quite deeply in his heart,

Severus did not want the Potter and his friends

To associate with his Lily.

Didn't they know there was not a point?

She had already declared her love for him!

As Severus pondered reclusively over these little points,

Lily was having a grand time with James

Who, that day, had decided to bring her to rather

Expensive restaurant. It was a special day, he had said

And thus Lily wore in an elegant dress

Complete with matching jewelry and shoes.

The food was exquisite and the wine entirely exotic.

She was having a grand time, although

At the very back of her mind

There was a nagging feeling telling her

To think even though all Lily wanted to do was relax.

Severus had been acting decidedly strange

For the past few days; his touch lingered

Longer than need and he gave Lily

Secretive smiles that he seemed to take

Great pleasure in giving.

But batting these thoughts away,

Lily concentrated on the dish at hand

And James' cute concerns, for little did she know

That what had just passed her mind

Would repeat itself over and over again

Until James would one day fall

Gracefully upon one knee.

Unknown to Lily, in the firelight of his rooms,

Severus plotted for their relationship to grow;

He had bought a box of Honeyduke's best chocolates

And a thin but elegant silver necklace

From his teacher's salary.

He was more than ready to present them to her,

But he never seemed to find the time.

In the end, Severus decided to put it off,

Until possibly New Years Eve, a romantic day

To give his special gifts to Lily.

Thus, the two continued their daily walks

Around Hogsmeade as more than friends,

In Severus' eyes. He had to be contented

With crossing his arms in front of his chest

To keep them from becoming frost bitten

By the bitter December cold.

Lily would snuggle tightly with her scarves

And wrap herself willingly within layers

Of wool cloaks and cashmere sweaters.

Their small talk remained light and airy,

For they asked each other no questions,

Told each other no lies,

And kept to themselves their secrets.

But to Severus, the little space between them,

Which he perceived as too close for a mere friendship,

Told volumes of love.

Lily came to him a day before

The Hogwarts Express was due to leave.

The stars were unusually bright that night

And the snow clouds had parted

For the happy night leading up to winter break.

Her face was graced with a hopeful

Glimmer and her lips raised in a shy smile.

Twirling and giggling down the Grand Staircase,

She jumped into Severus' arms

And proceeded to give a friendly hug.

Taking the young man by the hands,

They swung in circles until,

In an abrupt change of nature, Lily

Dragged Severus with unheard of ferocity

To the nearest classroom in the dungeons.

Once the door was shut and locked

And silencing spells cast,

Lily slowed down her pace,

Slowly replacing her wand in her pocket

With sudden unease that showed clearly

For her face was drawn and her eyes downcast.

Ten seconds pasted, thirty seconds past,

A minute and finally, after breathlessly hyperventilating

For another forty-five seconds,

Lily finally began her explanation:

"Severus,

As you probably already know,

I've been visiting James for the past few months

For you see, under all that arrogance

Is a good heart and a kind mind.

However self-centered I may seem for saying this,

However silly it may be, James did tell me

He did all those pranks and blunders

Because he already liked me.

All those detentions he suffered,

After all the breathless girls who fell for him,

He still wanted me to love him.

Two years is quite a long time,

The length of time I've been in love with him

And with all those happy portents,

James decided to ask me to marry him

And I said yes."

Severus had listened intently to Lily's rambling

For he wished to be a kind lover,

Thus he was quite shocked

And less than pleased when she told him

She wanted to marry the Potter boy.

Breathing slowly to the count of ten,

He first checked for several indicators

Of love potions and the Imperius curse

Which forces the victim to submit

To either uncalled for love or any commands.

But as Lily didn't seem to be the victim

Of anything out of the ordinary, Severus

Became increasingly frustrated.

With this frustration came anger;

Unthinkable quantities of rage.

Treacherous thoughts crossed his mind,

But although he struggled—fruitlessly—

Against his impulses, involuntarily,

His mouth, which was already wide open

Changed forms and pushed through

Distinguishable syllables and words

That form sentences that went:

"You,

Who I once called friend—you fiend!

I thought I could love you,

I thought you loved me.

But then you go and do more than befriend

The person who hated me the most,

Who tortured me like a common playground bully

Throughout seven years at school.

I recall, quite clearly too, that you disliked him

Just as much as I did back then,

Possibly more if I judge your various actions

To make sure the Potter boy got what he deserved.

And what about now?

We were friends Lily,

Friends before you ever set foot in Hogwarts.

Yet you choose, of all people, to marry James Potter!

This is unbelievable to the point of incredulous.

There is nothing James has that I don't,

Except for money. Money, Lily?

Is that why you agreed to marry him,

Because you are a sniveling whore out for money?

What else did you do after all those nights?

You've dirtied yourself Mudblood,

More than you could every imag—

No, Lily! I—"

Caught up with his ranting, Severus had not noticed

Exactly where his words were going

Until it was too late for the twisted

Declaration of love came out smoothly.

Only when he noticed the fleeting look

Of surprise on Lily's face—

Which quickly turned sour—

Did he realize his fatal mistake,

But Lily had already drawn her wand,

Firing curses in rapid succession, though many

Were entirely off course due to her anger.

A hex finally hit Severus in the leg,

Jerking him into the air and dangling him there

Where his teaching robes fell unceremoniously down

To expose his freshly pressed pants.

She was panting from the speed of her magical output,

But she still succeed in a cold exit,

Slamming the door on her way out,

Leaving Severus to fall in a heap

Upon the damp stone floor.

He stayed like that for a few seconds,

Reflecting upon his tragic error.

How could he convince her

That he had not meant what he had said,

For that surely was the truth?

Would she understand his reaction after he explained himself?

There was nothing to lose with trying,

Thus Severus scrambled to his feet and rushed

In the general upstairs direction. Amazingly, he made it

To the Great Hall where Lily had stopped upon hearing

The scuffling of his shoes. In desperation, Severus

Beseeched her on both knees:

"Lily, I'm sorry,

I didn't mean what I said. I beg of you Lily,

Don't you know how much I love you?

I don't want you to leave me.

I do not know what I would do without you

And it will be impossible for me to survive

Another two years without your presence.

Please, forgive me for my rash words.

I meant nothing of what I said for why would I

Knowingly insult someone I loved with all my heart?

It breaks my heart to be denied the honor

Of seeing your beautiful face.

Turn around my love, for I,

On both knees plead despairingly

For your kind words..

Forgive me, please."

But what Lily did

Was to look over her shoulder at Severus desperate

On the floor, taking the exact position James had

When the messy-haired boy declared his love of Lily

In their sixth year. The young woman had been rightfully

Angry at the spotlight and rejected James with a grimace.

But as she looked at Severus,

Lily felt a tinge of sorrow—

She was betraying Severus in a way—

But she also felt a much stronger annoyance

For his impulsiveness, and disbelief

For she had never known, never thought,

That Severus would ever love her.

These emotions were expertly covered

With a cool façade and Lily left him.

Severus ran and ran past Hogwarts grounds and apparated

To a shady pub on the outskirts of a wizarding town.

There he ordered a bottle of Firewhisky

Getting drunker and drunker as the night went on.

At length, he met up with Bellatrix Lestrange,

A Slytherin who had been in his year.

She had a dark aura about her

And cloaked in this mystery, she mused to Severus

Stories of death and revenge.

In his state, Severus thought it was a splendid idea.

This way, he could get rid of Potter

Once and for all, leaving Lily for himself

As wife, slave, whatever he wished.

He slurred out vague words of agreement

And Bellatrix, taking it as his given permission,

Took him to a cemetery where a group of people

Cloaked in dark hooded robes

Stood in a circle around their leader.

Drunk as he was, Severus as able to express his interest,

Getting jeers, laughter, and clapping in response

Before their Lord Voldemort silenced them

And Bellatrix spoke on Severus' behalf.

He was brought up and forced to bow

Before the tall imposing figure of their master

Who stepped out of the shadows into the moonlight

To reveal a pale, bald head with jeweled eyes like garnets.

Before Severus could gasp at the sight,

He screamed in pain,

Pain that came from his left forearm

And that night he knew no more.

It was the next morning.

The Hogwarts express was due to leave

In five minutes from Hogsmeade station.

Lily, wrapped in a warm, muggle-made fleece jacket

Peered around the platform one last time.

She couldn't see Severus anywhere.

She acknowledged the fact that she should've told him earlier

And confided with him about her relationship with James

At the very least. But she had not and now

She couldn't.

Severus' rejection hurt, but Lily wasn't going to back out

Of the engagement.

She loved James and he loved her—that she knew.

And she was going through with this marriage.

Besides, she had a dream

Where a little boy, possibly only a year old,

With messy black hair but the most bright green eyes

Had gurgled delightedly over a colorful picture book

Concerning the story of a little black dog

Who loved to prank his little wolf friend.

Lily could almost feel the child in her arms.

Severus Snape woke up on the filthy bed

Of the pub he had attended the night before.

The snow fell heavily outside,

Flashing bright white.

His head was brutally attacked by the light,

The result of a dreadful hangover.

His arm painfully itched as well,

And as he lifted the sleeve of his robe,

He was greeted with the sight of his pale skin

Marred by the ominous Dark Mark.

He had heard of the death and destruction

That the members of the group enacted,

Harming, muggles, muggle-born,

And so called pureblood blood-traitors

Who supported the rights of muggles.

Maybe it was a trick of the light

Or a result of his abusing headache,

But the black snake that was seated

In the mouth of the skull

Seemed to flick it tongue in contempt

And Severus' left arm shuddered with pain.

What had he done to deserve this?


End file.
